Ten University System of Georgia Institutions Launch Work in JNGI’S Gateway to Completion® Process to Improve Student Learning and Success in Historically High-Failure Rate Courses

BREVARD, NC. (June 6, 2016) – Student success in lower division and/or developmental-level “gateway” courses – such as accounting, biology, chemistry, history, math, psychology and writing/English – is a direct predictor of whether a student will be retained at a particular institution and/or complete a degree at any institution all together. This is why improving teaching and learning in gateway courses is one of the most pressing actions necessary in higher education today.

As a national non-profit leader in helping colleges and universities increase student learning and success, the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (JNGI) is proud to announce that the University System of Georgia (USG) has elected to address gateway course performance issues by working with JNGI’s Gateways to Completion (G2C) process

G2C is designed to provide institutions – most notably faculty – with processes, pedagogical and curricular guidance, and analytics tools to redesign teaching, learning and success in the gateway courses they teach.

Ten of the 29 USG public institutions of higher learning recently launched their efforts in JNGI’s three-year G2C process. This means that faculty in over a third of the institutions in one of the nation’s largest university systems are being mobilized to address failure in gateway courses and the persistence issues associated therewith.

“The University System of Georgia’s effort is the first-of-a-kind, system-wide application of the G2C process,” said Houston Davis, USG chief academic officer and executive vice chancellor. “This undertaking reflects the deep commitment the USG institutions and their faculties have for improving student learning and success. We are happy to work with a proven partner like the Gardner Institute.”

The following USG institutions join 20 other institutions currently involved in the G2C process:

East Georgia State College

Georgia Highlands College

Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southwestern State University

Gordon State College

Middle Georgia State University

Kennesaw State University

South Georgia State College

University of West Georgia

Valdosta State University

“The University System of Georgia’s effort is the first-of-a-kind, system-wide application of the G2C process,” said Drew Koch, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Leadership & Innovation Officer, John N. Gardner Institute. “This is a bold and ambitious undertaking, and it reflects the deep commitment that the USG institutions and their faculties have for improving student learning and success.”

“Our work with G2C to date shows that failure in these courses is not a hallmark of rigor or excellence,” added Koch. “Far too often, low-income and historically underrepresented students constitute the bulk of those who fail these courses. Higher education institutions cannot fulfill their mission to the communities they serve if they leave this issue unchecked.”

“We applaud USG for their leadership in and involvement with the G2C effort,” said John N. Gardner, President, John N. Gardner Institute. “They recognize that they cannot leave teaching and learning to chance, and they are getting their faculty involved in completion agenda-related work in meaningful and appropriate ways. We hope that other postsecondary systems and districts across the nation emulate the USG example and systematically address teaching and learning in their gateway courses.”

JNGI is currently accepting applications from individual institutions and/or systems interested in joining the next G2C cohort. For more information, visit jngi.org.

The John N. Gardner Institute is a group of people that have an extremely high level of expertise in education. They know education - they don’t just know the software or a program - they know all the touch points needed to craft a good system that that is going to work for our students.— Stuart Benkert, Director of Complete College Tracking and Assessment, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Our FoE Philosophy Statement served as the basis for the development of our Quality Enhancement Plan for SACS and for the improvements we have made to new student orientation, advising, and retention.— Debbi Clear, Vice President of Instruction & Student Services - Virginia Highlands Community College

We've been in the implementation process for a short time and have achieved great momentum. In a time of 'lean' operating, FoE is the perfect tool to help institutions achieve efficient and effective operating goals while adding value to the student experience.— Shawn A. Anderson, Dean of Student Services - Minnesota State Community and Technical College

The John N. Gardner Institute has provided us an opportunity to really have candid conversations, as well as connect with other like-minded schools and senior staff. Student success is extremely important to our institution. With JNGI, you really get the idea of how we are all on the right path.— Sasha Heard, Student Affairs Manager, Allied American University

This has been an incredible (and quick) endeavor and an eye-opener in many ways. What is most rewarding to me, at the moment, is to have so much information in one place and accessible to so many people. This takes us way beyond anecdotal conversations. THANK YOU…for helping us get our data uploaded, assembled, reloaded, corrected, and available to our users.— Regina Shearer, Associate Vice President for Student Success, Rivier University

Based on my experiences with the Institute, I can assert with assurance that FoE is a highly structured but very flexible process that has 'evolution' as its signature characteristic. An institution that participates in FoE exemplifies what Peter Senge calls "a learning institution."— Roberta Matthews, Former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs - Brooklyn College

We maximized our efforts by linking FoE with the Higher Learning Commission's AQIP system for accreditation. Through this link, efforts related to the first year had instant cross-functional commitment and were viewed through a continuous improvement lens.— Ali O'Brien, Asst. Vice President for Educational Affairs - College of Lake County

I am proud to say that our work is still going on almost four years later, and the focus on what is most important, the student, is still a large part of our planning for new programs and curriculum redesign.— Amy Baldwin, Instructor of English - Pulaski Technical College

The FoE self study helped us to identify initiatives that were working well, pin-point gaps in our services, and set goals for continuing to improve our efforts in meeting the needs of our students.— Amanda Yale, Associate Provost for Enrollment Services - Slippery Rock University

Working with the Gardner Institute provided a structure to look at institutional effectiveness. This structure was more encouraging, and less threatening, than evaluative agencies and brought people together from across the campus, all committed to the same task - new student success.— Mark Lange, Former FoE Liason - Holyoke Community College

The FoE process was transformational for MCCC. It helped us bring all stakeholders together and have a dialogue that has brought real changes to our institution. As we journey on, we are now very mindful and intentional in thinking about student success.— Dr. Steady Moono, Vice President for Student Affairs - Montgomery County Community College